ICC kicks off Super League as qualifier for WC 2023 in India

Dubai:The International Cricket Council on Monday officially launched the inaugural World Cup Super League beginning with a series between world champions England and Ireland starting on July 30 in Southampton.

The Super League will determine qualification for the World Cup 2023 with the top seven teams automatically booking their spot which will be held in India.

The rest of the schedule is yet to be announced. India automatically qualify for the World Cup because they are hosting the tournament.The Super League will determine the other seven teams that will qualify for the World Cup, ICC said in a statement.

The league will feature 13 teams, the 12 ICC Full Members and the Netherlands, who qualified by winning the World Cricket Super League in 2015-17. The Super League will see each side play four home and four away three-match series.The five sides which fail to qualify directly will play along with five Associate sides in the Qualifier 2023, with two teams making it to the 10-team World Cup.

Each team gets 10 points for a win, five for a tie/no result/abandonment and none for a loss. Teams will be ranked according to total points earned across the eight series. There are criteria in place to separate two or more teams on equal points.A knock-out phase will not be needed as the league standings will determine the qualification for the World Cup.(UNI)